Special or Unusual Circumstances and Professional Judgement
The College of Wooster has a long-standing tradition of providing financial assistance to students who might not otherwise be able to afford college and has a broad program of financial aid to assist those who demonstrate a need for such help. Analyzing each aid applicant’s specific circumstances, Wooster will, to the extent permitted by its own financial resources, assist them in meeting college costs. The College offers scholarships, grants, loans, and work opportunities to supplement the resources of students and their families. Wooster assumes that education has a high priority in family affairs and that our students will share in implementing this priority.
A Federal Methodology is used to determine a family’s eligibility for federal financial aid funds based on the information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Financial Aid Office understands that special circumstances may arise when the Federal Methodology does not accurately reflect a family’s true ability to contribute to the cost of education. Students who believe their circumstances warrant reconsideration of their eligibility may meet with a financial aid representative to discuss their situation.
Professional Judgement
Professional Judgment refers to the authority of a school’s financial aid administrator to adjust data elements on a student’s FAFSA, on a case-by-case basis, with adequate documentation.
The FAFSA Simplification Act (116 Pub. L. 260, Division FF, Title VII) distinguishes between different categories of professional judgment: Special circumstances and unusual circumstances.
Special Circumstances
Special Circumstances refer to financial situations (loss or decrease in income, large out-of-pocket medical expenses, etc.) that justify an aid administrator adjusting data elements in the Cost of Attendance or data elements on the FAFSA to change the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation.
This type of professional judgement is performed on a case-by-case basis and must be documented to substantiate the special circumstances that result in the approval or denial of the request. Required documentation will vary depending on the circumstances and will be requested by the financial aid administrator(s) completing the review of circumstances.
The Financial Aid Office will notify the student of the result of this review and any adjustments to financial aid eligibility.
Unusual Circumstances
Unusual Circumstances refer to conditions that justify an aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation. This type of professional judgement is also performed on a case-by-case basis.
Dependency Determination
All applicants for federal student aid are considered either “dependent” or “independent.” Dependent students are required to include information about their parents on the FAFSA. If you can answer “yes” to any of the dependency questions included on the FAFSA, then you are considered an “independent student.” Be advised, some statuses require additional documentation to support your dependency claim.
A student that is unable to answer “yes” to any of the dependency questions on the FAFSA but cannot provide parental information on the FAFSA can apply for a dependency override based on unusual circumstances.
Unusual circumstances do NOT include:
- Parent refusal to contribute to the student’s education.
- Parent refusal to provide information for the FAFSA or verification.
- Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
- Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.
Dependency Override – Independent Appeal due to unusual circumstances
Dependent students may be considered for a dependency override by the Financial Aid Office if there are very extenuating circumstances that would warrant such a change. Dependency overrides are most often granted in the case of parental abuse or abandonment where the parents can’t be found or shouldn’t be contacted.
Requesting a Dependency Override Review
To discuss your unusual circumstances as well as the process and documentation required to request a dependency override, you should first reach out to the Financial Aid Office by calling 330-263-2317, emailing, or scheduling an appointment online.
The Financial Aid Office reviews dependency override requests on a case-by-case basis once the required documentation has been submitted. Students will be notified as soon as the request has been reviewed. If it is determined that a dependency override is appropriate, the Financial Aid Office will update the student’s dependency status on the FAFSA.
All decisions regarding such requests are at the discretion of the Financial Aid staff and cannot be appealed.
An approved dependency override, assuming the student circumstances have not changed, will remain in place and valid in future years when a student submits their annual FAFSA.
Parent Refusal
In very limited situations, a student who cannot provide parental information and does not meet the criteria for a dependency override may receive Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan funds at dependent, undergraduate levels, and ineligible to receive any additional federal aid. Contact the Financial Aid Office by calling 330-263-2317 or emailing to determine if you qualify for this exception.
Unaccompanied and Homeless, or At-Risk of Being Homeless, Youth
If, at any time on or after July 1st of the prior year, the student is determined to be an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or is self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, the student is independent.
The following list contains terms and definitions that support an independent student status:
- Unaccompanied – When a student is not living in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.
- Homeless – Lacking fixed, regular, and adequate housing.
- At risk of being homeless – When a student’s housing may cease to be fixed, regular, and adequate, for example, a student who is being evicted or has been asked to leave their current residence and has been unable to find fixed, regular, and adequate housing.
- Self-supporting—when a student pays for his or her own living expenses, which includes paying for fixed, regular, and adequate housing.
This designation requires adequate documentation. This can be accomplished through many sources, including a Homeless Youth Determination by an entity designated in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. § 11431 et seq.), or a statement from a local educational agency homeless liaison, director or designee of a shelter, or the director or designee of a Federal TRIO program.
Homeless Youth Determinations
In the absence of a determination by an outside entity, the Financial Aid administrator must make a case-by-case determination of homeless youth status, by evaluating the living arrangements of a student to confirm that they meet the definition of this category of independent students.
The determination may be based upon a written statement from the student that confirms that they are an unaccompanied homeless youth, or unaccompanied, at risk of homelessness, and self-supporting. Such determination should be made without regard to the reasons that the student is unaccompanied and/or homeless.
Conflicting Information
Financial aid administrators are required to identify and resolve any conflicting information that would affect a student’s federal student aid eligibility, regardless of the source and regardless of whether the student is selected for federal verification. Required documentation varies and will be requested on a case-by-case basis. Resolution of conflicting information must be resolved prior to disbursing aid to a student’s account.
Fraud
If it is suspected that a student, employee, or other individual has misreported information or altered documentation to fraudulently obtain federal funds, the financial aid administrator must report their suspicions and provide any evidence to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Education. Students and parents who willfully submit fraudulent information will be investigated to the furthest extent possible. All documented cases of fraud and abuse will be reported to the proper authorities at the College and the OIG.